Wit hunt

Finding the right comedy formula is no laughing matter, writes Michael Idato.

Commercial TV is not famous for experimentation, which makes creating a viable sketch comedy in that environment a difficult task. David McDonald, whose resume includes Nine's Comedy Inc. and the savage SBS satire Life Support, believes comedy is at its sharpest when it pushes the boundary. "When we did Life Support, SBS said go hard, go satirical, go black. For any writer, especially for me, that's a red rag," he says.

On commercial TV, however, producers are sometimes restrained by a fear of crossing the line - offending advertisers, revenue-sensitive TV executives or, worse, conservative audiences. "I think with commercial stuff there is sometimes a sense of self-censorship - you know, it hasn't actually been out there; no one has tested the waters," McDonald says.

The first series of Comedy Inc. was typical of commercial sketch comedy: pointed but not sharp; amusing but, frankly, not all that funny. After that series, the writing staff defected to Seven's short-lived Hamish and Andy and the resulting creative blood transfusion was, in hindsight, just what Comedy Inc. needed.

When series two began last week it was a much-improved package. The humour is darker, edgier and the show is willing to take potshots at some sacred cows.

A satire of Ten's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy cast Ian Thorpe (played by comedian Gabriel Andrews) in the role of the makeover show's "straight guy". Making a punchline out of the sexuality of one of Australia's elite athletes is surely a very hot potato.

"I don't think he would find it very funny, which is a shame," McDonald says, noting that Australia's famous self-deprecating humour might be a thing of the past. "I don't know when that died and became a T-shirt but for the past 15 years - or the past three terms of this Government, at least - that's gone right out the window."

More palatable are the parodies of much-loved TV shows, such as Survivor, CSI: Miami, The Block and the slightly surreal, altogether too perky children's show Hi-5. McDonald says parody sketches often write themselves. They are the meat and drink of the genre. Some might even call them an easy option. "I know that some writers would say that half the job is done in the set design, the rubber nose and the wardrobe, but it really depends on what you do with it," McDonald says. "If you use it as a vehicle for something, rather than just as it is, that's probably the difference."

He cites Dead Ringers, which broadcasts at the same time as as Comedy Inc. on the ABC, as a show that fails to deliver. "The voices are great and the make-up is great but they don't really say or do anything that we don't know already."

In Australia, Fast Forward set the standard for sketch parody and launched the careers of some of our most popular comedians, including Magda Szubanksi, Marg Downey, Jane Turner, Peter Moon and Gina Riley. It is in many ways the benchmark against which new sketch comedies are measured.

McDonald is more than happy to be compared to that show. "At least we're being compared to an Australian product. That's something to be thankful for. At least we're not sitting here talking about Saturday Night Live."